Gear
Black Diamond Black Gold chalk
Review by Tony Lourens I’m not a particularly brave climber, therefore I keep a lot more than chalk in my chalk bag. I keep my heart and courage in there as well. So I am often found digging deep in my trusty old chalk bag when faced with a particularly tricky or daunting bit of …
Beal Be Quick locking carabiner
Review by Tony Lourens Beal’s Be Quick locking carabiner is designed specifically to go with the Birdie belay device. Not only does it come in the three different colours to match the same colours of the Birdie (very stylish!). But the carabiner is ultra light, has a flat design to easily fit through the opening …
Beal Birdie assisted-braking belay device
Review by Tony Lourens Actively camming assisted-braking belay devices have been around for about a quarter of a century and the majority of sport climbers and trad climbers (climbing on a single rope), will have one in their arsenal. Let’s not beat about the bush here. The GriGri has been around for yonks and as …
Hi-Tec V-Lite Wild-life Scorpions
Review by Kai Fitchen I’m an all-around climber. Well, at least I try to be. I sport-climb mainly, dabble in long multi-pitch routes and am somewhat of a reluctant boulderer. On rest days I hike and dig steep wild scrambles. I generally go for one shoe to do it all. Saying that, it has to …
Thule Stir 28 – women’s day pack
Review by Patsy Lourens Thule gets it right again with their mid-range packs! In my opinion the hardest packs to ‘get right’ are the mid-range sizes. The big daddies – from 50 to 100 litres, built for trekking and the like, come with all the bells and whistles, which make them robust, stable and comfy, …
Thule – Capstone 32-litre daypack
Review by Tony Lourens Anyone who has read my review of the Capstone packs in SA Mountain Magazine two years ago will know I am a big fan of this pack already. Now Thule has brought out the new edition with some great improvements and nifty new features. Although not a technical pack that lends …
K-Way Expedition Series – Kilimanjaro daypack 35 litre
Review by Tony Lourens In my experience, a daypack is a bag that has to be a multitask animal. It must be comfortable – of course. Comfort is first and foremost in all outdoor clothing, packs and footwear. But it also has to be a ‘nice’ size (not too big and not too small) – …
K-Way Expedition Series – Kilimanjaro Boot
Review by Tony Lourens When buying a new pair of trekking boots what are the criteria you are looking for? These are mine, in order of priority. Comfort: This is paramount. Without good comfort you may as well cast the boot aside and move on. ‘Grippyness’ and sensitivity of the sole: When walking through muddy …
HI-TEC Speed-Life Breathe Ultra
Review by Tony Lourens I am always on the lookout for a well priced “entry level” approach shoe. What I mean by entry level, is a shoe that may not be specifically designed as an approach shoe – so hasn’t got the last shape, wrap-around rand, or climbing specific sticky soles, etc, but does perform …
Hi-TEC Trail Ox Chukka
By Tony Lourens I started traipsing up and down mountains and walking to crags looong before the “Approach shoe” was invented. Back then anything went really – from old North Star takkies to proper chunky leather mountain boots, and anything in between. It wasn’t until the last decade or two that “approach shoes” really …